Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Retirement seemed like a great idea at the time, but a book idea kept nagging at me. After self-publishing The Garden of Souls, a small press sent me a contract and I wrote three books for them: The Truth and Nothing but Lies, The Night Shadow, and it’s sequel The Touch of a Shadow. Feeling a bit constrained by the publisher, I started writing short stories and have two published in anthologies: “Black Monday” is in Day of the Dark, and “Sacred Harp” is in No Trace.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I’m preparing a novella at that moment which was inspired by Orwell’s, Animal Farm. It won’t be ready until the end of the year. I love the idea of adult fairytales, of stories that might employ a bit of metaphysical interference. I used it to great effect in, The Garden of Souls.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to listen to Brazilian music when I’m writing. Occasionally I listen to specific songs that inspire me with my short stories. I must have listened to White Rabbit a hundred times when I wrote the short story: “The Music of Murder.” I rotate between books and stories until I’m getting into the crisis then I concentrate on one story or novel.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Collette and Somerset Maugham are my Go To story tellers for inspiration. I also love Agatha Christie and Craig Johnson. Although, Graham Greene had a tremendous influence on my Shadow Series, Daphne du Maurier and oddly, Dostoevsky changed my life.
What are you working on now?
I’ve probably too many irons in the fire: 5 Short-stories, 2 Science Fiction (1 a novella, and 1 novel), 2 Adult Fairytales, 1 Horror novel (almost completed), 2 Mysteries (1 a novella, possibly a fully fleshed out book, and 1 book).
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Writing short stories actually puts your name before readers who might never have found you for the plethora of voices out there.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be prepared for rejection. Pay attention to what the publisher or agent or editor says, but remember that you’re an individual, and everything is subjective. If you feel the advice is salient, then by all means work on your story with those suggestions in mind. A rejection by one or a fifty of the gatekeepers doesn’t mean your story is unsaleable. But it can also mean it is. You have to step outside your ego to discover the truth. And don’t use your family or friends to tell you whether you have what it takes or not.
Sadly, just because you want to write doesn’t mean you’re any good. The unfortunate truth is not everyone who has written a novel or short story can actually write well. If you self-publish you’ll never know if you’re any good to stand up against the lions of the industry. Remember, Frank Herbert’s, Dune series, was rejected by everyone, so he published with a publisher who specialized in car books. And there are a hundred other stories just like that out there. Be realistic, and be tough.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Get ready for rejection. So I’ve passed it along. And read, read, read, read.
What are you reading now?
The Wrong Side of Goodbye, by Michael Connelly, Smiley’s People, by John Le Carre, Great American Detective Stories, edited by Anthony Boucher, Sanctuary, by William Faulkner, and I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Completing one novel, and three novellas this year. My horror novel I must complete editing it or it will drive me insane. Editing takes a different mindset, and I almost always want to rewrite, get creative, when I just need to buckle down and cut and make each sentence clear.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible, Rashi’s commentary on The Chumash, The Brother’s Karamazov, a book of Yeats poems. I could spend the rest of my life eating the prose and poetry of all of those books.
Author Websites and Profiles
Cheri Vause Website
Cheri Vause Amazon Profile
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